I drove a car for the first time last night. In case anyone needs to justify their fear of driving in New York, let me point out that my driving school had no qualms about putting me behind the wheel for the first time at night, during the tail end of rush hour, and making me drive around the maze-like, pedestrian-filled streets of the West Village. This did not do very good things for my frazzled nerves. Obviously, this driving thing is gonna take some time for me to get the hang of. I can understand now why people suggest starting out in a big, open parking lot. Every time I was trying to get the feel for how fast or slow the damn thing would go, or how much it would actually turn in response to how I turned the steering wheel, there was suddenly a cab’s headlights in my peripheral vision, and some guy walking a dog in front of me.
I was feeling very fragile when it was all over. If I were you, I’d stay away from that neighborhood at 10:00 next Thursday, when I have my second lesson.
I hate it when I don’t pick up new things right away. But it’s high time I tackled this driving thing once and for all.